Free Unstable Prototypes by Joseph Lallo Page A

happens now?"
    "Now we liberate him from his armed escort.
After that, we board the SOB, which is docked in short term bay
I-85, and leave the facility. From there he will direct us to a
safe location, where the next stage of the plan will be
determined."
    "It sounded like you said liberate him from
his armed escort. At what point did you think that this was
something I would be able to do."
    "Leave that aspect to me."
    "Fine, but won't people see? Won't there be
video? I wouldn't have agreed to help if I'd known I would have
been incriminating myself in a major crime!"
    "This station was selected for this phase of
the plan because it has failed six consecutive security audits due
to an uncorrected hardware flaw in its surveillance systems. There
are no active monitors or logging systems. Only eye witnesses will
be able to identify you, and all possible steps will be taken to
avoid the appearance of collaboration between yourself and our
target. But please move quickly. They are likely moving him as we
speak," she said, hopping to the floor and picking up the leash in
her teeth. "Time for a walk."
    "... Fine, but I want it on the record that
I'm not happy about this."
    Lex clipped on the leash, threw his bag over
his shoulder, and headed out into the hall. The attendant was
waiting for him there.
    "We are currently docked at a space station
known as VC-808. There are four commuter shuttles ready to take you
to your destination. They will be leaving in fifteen minutes. I am
afraid that none of the shuttles have got first class
accommodations, but we would gladly refund the fare difference,"
the attendant began.
    "Tell her that you have an alternate means of
conveyance," Ma recommended. "Your absence on an exit vehicle may
attract attention."
    "Yeah, I appreciate the gesture, but after
the last hour, I think I'd be more comfortable on a smaller vessel.
I know a guy who works here. I'll catch a ride with him," Lex said
as gently as possible.
    "Very well, sir. We hope you'll ride with
VectorCorp again in the future."
    "I don't see how I can avoid it," he
remarked.
    He was directed to the nearest exit, which
led to a pressurized gangway and into the transfer station. For one
who has never seen a remote transfer station, conjuring an accurate
mental image is actually quite simple. Begin by picturing a bus or
train depot. Not one of the big hubs frequented by commuters and
tourists, mind you, but one of the sketchy, middle-of-nowhere
depots. The kind of place that exists not because there is a large
city nearby, but because there isn't anything even remotely
resembling civilization for far enough in every direction that, in
the event of an equipment failure, the chances are very good that
all involved would starve to death before seeing another human
being. A tiny, poorly lit skeleton of a place with barely enough
equipment to do its job. Now imagine that everything, including the
oxygen, has been recycled for the last decade. That dismal, smelly
image perfectly describes the vast majority of transfer stations,
this one included. Here in the loading and unloading areas, no
consideration at all had been given to the subject of gravity.
Instead, a wide metal grid ran along the walls, and the longer
corridors had a slowly moving chain conveyor that would haul you
toward your destination if you were brave enough to grab one. It
gave the whole complex the look of a series of LED lit elevator
shafts jammed together at right angles, like an M. C. Escher
daydream. Things became a bit more hospitable as you approached the
central waiting area. There, a small section of the station had an
artificial gravity field, seats, network terminals, and places to
eat and freshen up. Unfortunately, Lex wasn't headed in that
direction.
    "They will be moving the prisoner to the
security area. Take the shaft to the left. Please move quickly.
Extricating him will be enormously complex if we fail to do so
before he is properly remanded."
    "Easy for you to